“Satisfactory evidence” of the use of £67,698 of last year’s grants had been presented to the county council within six months of the closure of the 2023/24 scheme (35 per cent of the total fund) with evidence in relation to £123,416 of grants outstanding.

However, analysis of the initiative for the 2022/23 financial year, carried out 12 months after its completion, found that 83 per cent of LMGS spending was ultimately accounted for.

Each year the county council allocates members a budget of £2,000 which they can use to support projects within their area, although last year the amount was increased to £2,500 to fund local celebrations of the King’s coronation. Provincial councilors decide at their own discretion which programs to support based on requests submitted by groups seeking specific help.

The authority requests evidence of how individual grants have been used (either after the beneficiary organization’s project has ended or six months after the money was issued) to ensure that the rules have been met and that the money has been spent appropriately. the basis agreed upon by the member who granted it.

Where that information is not provided, the issuing county councilor is notified and would then have to consider whether to approve any future requests from that group given that they have not contacted the authority, although there would be nothing stopping them from doing so.

A report presented at a recent meeting of the county council’s audit, risk and governance committee said tracking of grant money should be “proportionate”, taking into account the size of the organizations being supported and the outcome of maintain requests. for “minimum” procedures.

A Lancashire County Council spokesperson told LDRS: “These are small grants, usually a few hundred pounds, to small community organisations, often run by volunteers.

“We send reminders to recipients requesting relevant documentation, but we understand that it can sometimes take time to obtain the information as these are not large-scale professional bodies.

“In some cases, community organizations come together for a single event or activity and prizes are awarded well in advance to aid planning.

“Regular updates are made to the audit, risk and governance committee to reassure councilors that the process is robust and that there are no significant concerns with awards.

“Councilors generally see the scheme as a really positive one as it helps them support small local groups to make a big difference in their communities with relatively small sums of money.”

Throughout 2023/24, the highest rate of outstanding test requests relates to the last month of the financial year: 60 of the 65 projects supported in March 2024 had not yet provided the necessary information. However, details on the use of cash issued much earlier this year have yet to be presented: 119 of the 260 plans funded between April and October 2023 are yet to report.

Josh Mynott, head of democratic services at the county council, told committee members that groups that do not use the money in full, for the purpose for which it was given, usually return the balance to the council.

“Most organizations are very open and honest about it – they appreciate the money they get,” he said.

Any money that a community group does not spend during the financial year in which it was issued can be returned to the relevant county councillor’s LMGS budget, while most of the cash that members have not allocated from their annual allocations is used for the benefit . of children in care and those who have recently left care.

Popular projects

The most common use of member grants in 2023/24 was to fund community events, 172 of which received financial support. This was followed by the purchase of equipment (107 projects), sports and leisure activities (40), support for community facilities (36), coverage of repair and renovation costs (28), financing of educational projects (23), medium environment and climate change. work (11), healthy eating initiatives (8), cost of living plans (4), senior projects (3), and park and playground improvements (2). There were 11 “miscellaneous” activities.

Examples of some of the grants awarded by members last year include:

***£370 to Kingsfold Football Club for training equipment

***£200 towards a new food mixer for the Royal Voluntary Service Garstang Lunch Club

***£750 to Kirkham in Bloom for garden equipment

***£200 for Preston City of Sanctuary to pay for a family day for sanctuary applicants

***£350 to Incredible Edibles in Burnley to pay for gardening equipment, plants and seeds.

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